Mobile Ministry Magazine

An Article on Blogging in the Body
While I am sure that it becoming a more common occurance for the churches and ministries that have websites, and even more so for those looking to use their website as a part of their inreach and outreach ministries (all should IMO, but that really is a seasonal and developmental thing). The fact is that many, many churches do not have a website but are looking for an inexpensive means for using the internet to reach inside and outside of their communities.

Blogging is clearly an easy way to do so, and with a bit of innovative thinking, one can really turn the blog into the center for church or even pastorial communication. There are some examples mentioned in this article at Church Marketing Sucks, but I want to highlight a bit of some of the more far reaching ideas for churches/ministries and blogs that I have had.

Extending the Sunday Message
While some are familiar with a pastor having a blog and then relating their thoughts as the week goes by, a more personal to the pastor, and eye opening to the community, is that blog that not speaks about message, but the effect of the message past and message upcoming on the pastor as they are making it thru the week. This might be related as being saddened that there were not enough vocal responses, or even more prideful in that they will be heart showing, but it will offer a bit of an eye into the heart of one of the more visible parts of any ministry. Depending on the content, this could work.

The Teen Social Space
A very evident issue in many churches is the adaption of technology by teens and how they use it for their disposal and gains. A blog sponsored by the church that has teens as correspondants talking about those things that matter most to them, but also extened to give teens a means (no matter if by phone, PDA, laptop, or desktop) the means to contribute with a comment or an article. Of course, one would want a youth pastor to moderate this, and even to start things off, but to allow the community of youth to use what they know to minister to their kind" while in church or out of it would be a good thing. I mean, wouldn't it be really neat if the youth who is a drummer posted ringtones of some rifts that he/she had not yet ben able to try in church to get an opinion of whether it is good enough to propose or not? Something to think about perhaps.

Blogging to Engage the Community
Many have a hard time getting on the computer to read email, let alone check their blog feeds. In this case, instead of the blog being the center, the blog would be the aggreator of the content that means most to people. For example, you see someone who is on a particular corner everyday, posting this as well as what the Body is able to do to help them, is a way to extend the "announcement" portion of serivice. If you will, we do not just say "hey there is this event going on" but we say that the event is going on and here is how it has effected us to do more/less. Gratned, this is a lot more far reaching, and takes more towards the forum like apporach, but I think it could still work if given the right time and soil.

So those are a few ways blogging can be used in the Body. But whether you know it or not, the scope and scape of things are changing. Soon it will not just be blogs, but something else that is more engaging, more freeing, and more purposeful. The point is that if you don't jump now, that you understand so that you can be well positioned for the next.
- sent from Treo